Oil level location tool with electrical contact means depending from a reciprocatingvalve



3,195,042 MEANS y 13, 1965 J. J. GLENN. JR.. ETAL OIL LEVEL LOCATION TOOL WITH ELECTRICAL CONTACT DEPENDING FROM A RECIPROCATING' VALVE Filed Sept. 11, 1961 United States Patent 3,195,642 01L LEVEL LOCATIGN TOOL WiTH ELECTRIQAL CONTACT MEANS DEPENDlNG FRQM A RE- CIPROCATING VALVE James J. Glenn, .lr., 4716 dunfield Ave, Long Beach, Calif., and Dale E. Willis, 5938 N. Whitewood Ave, Lakewood, Calif.

Filed Sept. 11, 1961, Ser. No. 137,374 Claims. (Cl. 3242) This invention relates to an oil level location tool whereby it is possible to determine where oil is entering the casing in adequate quantities.

An object of our invention is to provide an oil level location tool whereby the point of entrance of oil can be determined so that subsequent cementing or pack-off operations will not close off the area through which oil is entering the well.

Another object of our invention is to provide a novel oil level location tool in which oil entering the well is collected in a container.

Another object of our invention is to provide an oil level location tool in which the container which retains oil may be flushed out at intervals in order to reaccess the point at which oil enters the well.

Still another object of our invention is to provide an oil level location tool which can be repeatedly used within the well for the purpose of determining the amount of oil within the various levels within the well.

A feature of our invention resides in the ability to obtain a quantitative reading as to the amount of oil which has been collected in a container forming part of the tool.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from the accompanying drawing, the subjoined detailed description and the appended claims.

In the drawing: I

FIGURE -1 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of our oil level location tool.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the valve portion of the tool showing the valve in open position.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the lowermost part of the tool and showing the deflecting plates.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of our tool.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates an outer housing, which is preferably tubular in form and is provided with a suitable cable socket 2 at its upper end to which a cable (not shown) is attached when the tool is being operated in a well. A coupling 3 is threaded into the lower end of the housing 1, and also is threaded into the sleeve 4. The parts 1, 3 and 4 thus form the substantially tubular body or housing of the tool, as will be subsequently described. A plurality of spring fingers 5 are fixedly attached to the lower end of the sleeve 4, and these fingers all terminate in a guide 6 which is termed a nose. A plurality of overlapping plates 7 are each fixedly attached to one of the fingers 5, and these plates overlap to form a conical guide or deflecting apparatus for the purpose of directing fluid upwardly into the bottom of the sleeve 4. An inwardly projecting seat 8 is formed adjacent the lower end of the sleeve 4 and this annular seat, together with the lowermost wall portion of the sleeve 4, defines a cup 9 into which fluid in the well is directed. A valve 10 rests on the seat 8 in one position to close the upper end of the cup 9 and permit that cup to fill with fluid. The valve 10 is formed of an insulating material and the cup 9 is formed of a conducting metal, the purpose of which will be subsequently described.

To actuate the oil level location tool, We provide a slow speed reversible motor 11 within the housing 1 and adjacent the upper end of this housing. The motor 11 is very slow speed, approximately 2 or 3 r.p.m. Power for the motor 11 is obtained through a cable 12 which extends from the surface through the lifting cable if desired. The motor 11 rotates a threaded shaft 13, and this shaft engages a threaded nut 14 which travels vertically in the housing 1 along the guide rails 15. As the motor 11 rotates, the nut 14 will thus be moved up wardly or downwardly along the rail 15, depending upon the direction of rotation of the motor 11. An actuating tube 16 is secured at one end to the nut 14, and at the other end to the valve 10. Thus the valve can be raised or lowered with relation to its seat 8 as the nut 14 is moved by the motor 11. A metal probe or terminal 17 extends vertically through the valve 10 and projects from the bottom of the valve, so as to extend into the cup 9 when the valve is seated. The water in an oil well is highly saline and, consequently, is a relatively good conductor of electricity. Oil, on the contrary, is not a good conductor, and the greater the quantity of oil within the well fluid, the greater will be the resistance of the flow of current from the terminal 17 to the wall of the cup 9. An electrical lead 18 extends to the terminal 17 from the surface of the ground, and this lead is connected to a measuring instrument, such as a volt meter or ammeter, which determines the amount of current flowing from the terminal 17 to the cup 9. When the valve 10 is closed, and if salt water fills the cup 9, there will be a large flow of current across the gap from the wall of the cup 9 to the terminal 17. If, on the contrary, the cup 9 is filled with oil, or there is a large quantity of oil in the cup, then there will be a materially lesser flow of current, indicating that oil is flowing at that point in the well.

When our oil level location tool is being operated, the well bore is filled with a column of water and any oil entering the bore floats upwardly in the column of water. If it is desired to release the entrapped fluid in the cup 9, the valve 10 is raised oil of its seat 8 and fluid will then flow upwardly out through the ports 19, and thence into the bore of the well.

Certain oil wells produce large quantites of salt water in addition to oil, and remedial work requires that the well be cemented at its lowermost end and below the oil producing zone, and also a packer might be set at the upper edge of the oil producing zone. This tool, therefore, determines where the oil producing zone lies, so that the cementing operation or the placing of a packer will not obstruct the movement of oil into the bore of the well.

In operation:

The tool is lowered to a point above or below where oil should be entering the well. During the lowering of the tool the valve 16 is open and fluid can flow through the cup 9 and thence out of the ports 19. When it is desired to start testing the valve it) is closed by actuating the motor ll. With the valve it! closed the cup 9 fills with fluid, due to the deflection of the fluid by the plates 7. Current is now fed through the lead 18 and the instrument (not shown) at the surface is read to determine if the current is flowing through salt water or through oil. This test can be repeated at different levels, and between each test the valve 10 is. raised and the cup 9 is purged or cleared of any fluid so that the next test will not be influenced by a prior test. It is thus possible to determine the area where oil is entering the well, because at points below the oil strata only water will ap pear in the cup 9.

Having described our invention, We claim:

1. An oil level location tool for an oil well comprising an elongated tubular housing, said housing having an inverted cup receptacle mounted on the lower end thereof, the bottom of said cup being open to receive fluid from the well, a valve seat in the housing above said cup, a valve mounted on said seat, an electrical metal terminal conductor depending from and mounted on the valve and extending into the cup in one position of' the parts, and power means extending to the valve and attached thereto to raise and lower said valve with relation to the valve seat, said housing having outlet ports therein positioned above the valve seat, and deflection plates mounted on the housing at the lower end thereof to deflect fluid into said cup.

2. An oil level location tool for an oil well comprising an elongatedtubular housing, said housing having an inverted cup receptacle mounted on the lower end thereof, the bottom of said cup being open to receive fluid from the well, a valve seat'in the housing above said cup, a valve mounted on said seat, an electrical metal terminal conductor depending from and mounted on the valve and extending into the cup in one position of the parts, an electric motor mounted in said housing, operating meansextending from the motor to said valve to raise and lower the valve relative to the seat, said housing having outlet ports therein positioned above the valve seat, and deflection plates mounted on the housing at the lower end thereof to deflect fluid into said cup.

3. An oil level location tool for an oil well comprising an elongated tubular housing, saidthousing having an inverted cup receptacle mounted on the lower end thereof, the bottom of said cup being open to receive fluid from the well, a valve seat in the housing above said cup, a valve mounted on said seat, an electrical metal terminal conductor depending from and mounted on the valve and extending into the cup in one position of the parts, a motor mounted in said housing, a drive shaft extending from the motor, a nut threaded on the drive shaft and movable vertically in the housing, and means extending from the nut to the valve to raise and lower said valve relative to the valve seat, said housing having outlet ports therein positioned above the valve seat, and deflection plates mounted on the housing at the lower end thereof to deflect fluid into said cup.

4. An oil level location tool comprising an elongated housing adapted to be lowered into an oil Well, said housing having an inverted cup receptacle mounted on the lower end thereof, the bottom of said cup being open to permit fluid to enter, said housing having a valve seat arranged above said cup, a valve resting on the seat in one position of the parts, said housing having fluid outlet ports therein above said valve seat, a motor mounted in said housing, a threaded shaft extending from the motor, a nut threaded on the shaft, said nut being mounted for vertical movement in the housing,

9 means extending from the nut to the valve and connecting said parts, an electrical metal terminal conductor depending from and mounted on the valve and extendiing into the cup in one position of the parts.

5. An oil level location tool comprising an elongated housing adapted to be lowered into an oil well, said housing having an inverted cup receptacle mounted on the lower end thereof, the bottom of said cup being open to permit fluid to enter, said housing having a valve seat arranged above said cup, a valve resting on the seat in one positionof the parts, said housing having; fluid outlet ports therein above said valve seat, a motor mounted in said housing, a threaded shaft extending from the motor, a nut threaded on the shaft, said nut being mounted for vertical movement in the housing, means extending from the nut to the valve and connecting said parts, an electrical metal terminal conductor depending from and mounted on the valve and extending into the cup in one position of the parts, deflecting vanes mounted on the lower end of the housing and below the cup, said vanes deflecting fluid into the cup.

7 References Cited hy the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS WALTER, L. CARLSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN OIL LEVEL LOCATION TOOL FOR AN OIL WELL COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TUBULAR HOUSING, SAID HOUSING HAVING AN INVERTED CUP RECEPTACLE MOUNTED ON THE LOWER END THEREOF, THE BOTTOM OF SAID CUP BEING OPEN TO RECEIVE FLUID FROM THE WELL, A VALVE SEAT IN THE HOUSING ABOVE SAID CUP, A VALVE MOUNTED ON SAID SEAT, AN ELECTRICAL METAL TERMINAL CONDUCTOR DEPENDING FROM AND MOUNTED ON THE VALVE AND EXTENDING INTO THE CUP IN ONE POSITION OF THE PARTS, AND POWER MEANS EXTENDING TO THE VALVE AND ATTACHED THERETO TO RAISE AND LOWER SAID VALVE WITH RELATION TO THE VALVE SEAT, SAID HOUSING HAVING OUTLET PORTS THEREIN POSITIONED ABOVE THE VALVE SEAT, AND DEFLECTION 